Street Update #98

Anika Dačić graduated in Comparative Literature and Literary Theory from the Faculty of Philology in Belgrade and is currently pursuing MA in Literary and Cultural Studies. Her interests lie in social and cultural aspects of contemporary art production and she especially enjoys writing about street and urban art. Likes to knit, play adventure video games and host quiz nights at a local bar.

Herakut in Paris

German art duo Herakut created a new piece on the streets of Paris marking the beginning of the Project 256, non-profit campaign aiming to help the homeless people through artistic engagement. Herakut duo, famous for their socially engaged art and activism, joined the action, painting a portrait of the homeless person Karim, providing a much-needed help to this man and raising awareness of the problems of homeless people worldwide. In one of our recent articles we wrote more about the Project 256, so check it out if you want to support the initiative and donate to those in need.

Pablito Zago in Avignon, France

Avignon-based artist Pablito Zago is another artist who has dedicated his last week’s project to the homeless. Within the scope of Le parcour de l’art and in collaboration with TRI Postal d’Avignon, a non-profit organization which provides help to the people without homes, Pablito Zago painted a piece for a TRI Postal homeless center. In his colorful style, the artwork brings a dancing snail character, carrying his little house on his back, and travelling through an array of inscriptions, quotes of the famous poets and the homeless people who often come to the center. Can you make a distinction between those words and guess whom they belong to?

Evoca1 in Vienna

A coincidence or not, another artist who has done a lot of humanitarian work for the homeless people in the Miami area with his Sketches for Mankind project also found himself on our Street Update list. Evoca1, whom you all probably know well for his beautiful photorealistic murals, was in Vienna last week, painting another of his large-scale pieces. At first site, it’s just a man with a fishbowl, but for the residents of Mariahilf neighborhood it is a tale about the positive changes and bright view on the bleak history. Evoca1’s mural tells the story of flak towers constructed during the World War II by the Nazis and in later times redesigned and repurposed. In the Mariahilf area, one of these dark towers was turned into an aquarium, and Evoca1’s mural celebrates the community efforts in turning one of the reminders of the horrifying history into a positive legacy for the future generations. The mural is entitled Imperishable Relics and done with support of INOPERAbLE Gallery.

Saner in Philadelphia

Mexican street artist, illustrator and graphic designer Saner visited Philadelphia recently, where his solo exhibition opened at Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens. Prior to the show, in collaboration with Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, Saner created a new public piece, contributing to the already rich street art scene in Philly. The vibrant piece, showing an embraced couple in traditional Mexican garments is entitled Philos & Adelphos and it reinterprets the symbolism of the name Philadelphia. In its original Greek meaning, Philadelphia is meant to read brotherly love, but Saner’s interpretation might go in different direction. Anyway, it’s still a great piece by the extremely talented artist.

INO in Minsk, Belarus

Athens-based artist INO recently took a trip to Minsk, Belarus where he was invited by the Belarus Ministry of Culture to contribute to the Urban Myths project. The concept of the new public art initiative is to bring international artists to the city, encourage them to spontaneously get acquainted with the culture and the atmosphere of the capital and to produce a piece inspired by their impressions. INO got inspired by the notion that the death penalty is still being used in the country. Therefore, he decided to dedicate his unfinished wall to those who were sentenced to death and later proved innocent. The piece is entitled Man with No Name, and executed in INO’s signature figurative style with a limited color palette, underlining the bleak story behind the work.